March 3, 2021

Faculty Senate Meeting

March 3, 2021

Held in Galloway Business and via Teams due to Covid

Members began joining meeting at 3:00 PM.

NOTE: Some images were captured from guest speakers and may be obtained in PDF format from Faculty Senate secretary, Ashley Dockens at adockens@lamar.edu or from administrative assistant Amy Jones at ajones165@lamar.edu. Please put "Faculty Senate March 2021 Minutes Request" as your subject heading.

Attending: Faculty: Per Microsoft Forms sign in link – John Gossage added after email noting his attendance.

Email - Name - Today's Date - Please enter your first and last name - Department and/or College you represent

Call to Order: 3:34 PM.

Guest Speaker: Arne Almquist

Continuing contract negotiations with Elsevier to improve access for our institution.

Would like to offer content via document delivery if need be with the Freedom Collection items as needed.

--- NOTE: VIDEO/AUDIO Recording began at 3:42 PM.

New Resources: JSTOR holdings increasing – good news for multiple disciplines. Recommends trying it. More new resources below. This link will take you to more information re: the Elsevier discussions and the emails are for persons on campus you can reach out to regarding resources. 

Additional guest Mike Saar, Interim Associate Dean of Library

National survey tool to gauge library satisfaction – announcements recently sent out via campus announcements.

Information on survey below.

First evaluation in 2019 – results below. Plans have been set to do every other year.

The survey appears similar to this:

Results will look like this:

Helps Library make decisions for changes:

Study room and collection changes are being made based on 2019 survey responses:

2019 Response rates:

Would like to see increased participation this 2021 survey year. Offering incentives for iPad, bookstore and Starbucks gift cards. Encourage everyone to complete it! Survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete.

Questions from Senate floor re: online holdings and ratings down.

Approval of the Minutes: Motion to approve made by Millicent. Seconded by Garrick. Motion passed.

Faculty Senate President’s Report:

Recent attendances to State meeting by Jennifer, Chien, and Pat.

Texas has revoked mask order. Questions are being asked of our on-campus individuals to learn more about how we will proceed at LU.

Dr. Evans is looking into how to offer vaccinations at LU.

There are local SE Texas sites offering vaccines very quickly.

Amy (Faculty Senate assistant) is reviewing changes in teaching evaluations provided by Jarrod Rossi.

Covid-19 Impact statement in F2.08 reviews and tenure clock pausing. Attempting to get resolutions on paper for Senate to review.

Faculty Issues committee to draft workload recommendation documents.

Chair of Student Success committee had to step down since she is serving as an interim chair (Nikki Michalski) so Pat Heintzelman is taking over and is looking into what is contributing to student success on campus.

Cheng-Hsien and Jennifer met with College of Arts and Sciences Dean Maurer re: summer changes – Concerns partly discussed. The College of Arts & Sciences has a decreased by 40% due to overuse of budget from previous 2 years. Dean said she cannot commit to a specific number of courses per faculty until she has more information about numbers. An email came from Brenda Nichols re: what courses need to be offered to promote matriculation and graduation. If you believe your courses should be offered in summer, check back again with Chairs because final decisions will be set this Friday. Jennifer and Cheng-Hsien will be meeting again with Dean Maurer this week.

Academic Issues:

No report due to no meeting in February due to ice storm.

Faculty Issues:

Ombudsman position information being compiled to send more information to MAPPs subcommittee.

Xenia motion.

 -Whereas TSUS Chapter 4/section 4.241 Tolling of Tenure clock. States that “A component may permit a tenure track faculty member to toll the tenure clock-that is, exclude no more than two academic years of countable service towards tenure-in order to accommodate one or more of the following exigencies or hardships: a.) Childbirth or adoption; b.) Dependent care (including parents, children, spouses, or other dependents); c.) The faculty member’s own illness or other personal emergency; and/or (d.) The inability of the institution to provide agreed upon facilities for the faculty member’s research.”,  

-Lamar University Faculty Senate motions that faculty may request that their academic component consider teaching in the times of national pandemic emergency equivalent to TSUS 4.241 c.) personal emergency and/or TSUS 4.241 d.) The inability of the institution to provide agreed upon facilities for the faculty member’s research, as grounds for a request to toll the academic clock for tenure-track faculty. 

Seconded by Brad Garrick Harden. No negative responses, so unanimous consent passed.

Budget and Compensation:

Met with Jeremy Alltop. Lack control that LU and TSUS has over overall budget, most control is at State level. 4.3 million in reductions are being enacted and no increases from student enrollment. Enrollment has remained stable due to online enrollment in Dept of Education and Business. Is there any room for faculty needs (research, salaries, etc.)? Answer? Not a lot of wiggle room at this time. If funding is to be increased in one area, it must be cut in another. Still working on going through budgetary data and will report more next month.

Events: 

Book signing will follow the Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. In person guest total can be 15 members. Thinking that executive committee will be invited first. March 31 in the Event Center Room. Campus announcement will come out soon.

Research and Creative Activity:

Still waiting on Provost to hear back regarding faculty development leaves – no new meeting due to ice storm. Dr. Lin was going to check in, did, and no more information has been given.

F2.08:

No new report. No meeting due to ice storm.

Student Success:

No report. Chair of committee can no longer serve while serving as Interim Chair of Communications.

Handbook/MAPPs:

1. Hoch – Had been waiting for a draft of the Handbook after being told early in the semester that there was a new draft. Assoc. Provost Dann Brown has been working on it and has now shared it with the committee. MAPPs subcommittee has not met since Joe Nordgren has taken over. MAPPs for Ombudsman has been shared directly with Jennifer and shared to the subcommittee. This MAPP did not pass through the committee.

Summer FTE resolution.

Motion for a resolution on Faculty Summer Teaching Assignments:  Available teaching opportunities for summer sessions and mini-sessions should be assigned to all full-time faculty members of an academic department with a desire to first assure all receive a minimal and equitable assignment (0.25 to 0.5 FTE) before additional assignments are made based on a fair rotation.  No faculty member in an academic unit may teach a total of 0.5 FTE among summer sessions and mini-sessions if any other faculty member desiring to teach has no teaching assignment.  Within an academic department such procedures to assure a minimal and equitable teaching loads may include co-instruction of a course, separate assignments of lecture and laboratory course sections, or a combination of these or other efforts. 

New Faculty Handbook Language for a MAPP

Policy:

Notices concerning summer and mini-session employment shall be issued separately from academic year contracts. Availability of summer and/or mini-session teaching opportunities (i.e. courses and number of course sections) is determined on the basis of demonstrated instructional need and/or budgetary constraints in each department so to best serve students in its major(s) and for core curriculum requirements to achieve institutional target rates of retention and graduation. Assignment of available teaching opportunities will be made in a fair manner using established procedures that assure all faculty with a desire to teach have a minimal and equitable teaching load prior to any additional opportunities being assigned on a rotational basis (see below).

Definitions and Procedures:

1. MINIMAL and EQUITABLE TEACHING LOAD:  Procedures will be established in every academic department so that in no case should any one faculty member teach a 6-hour summer teaching assignment (0.5 FTE) if any one faculty member who desires a teaching assignment has none.  Within an academic department such procedures may include co-instruction of a course, separate assignments of lecture and laboratory course sections, or a combination of these or other efforts.  A minimal and equitable teaching load for all who wish to teach may be a total of 0.25 to 0.5 FTE among summer sessions and/or mini-session.
2. ROTATION. If the available teaching opportunities in summer sessions and mini-sessions make it impossible to offer all interested faculty a minimum and equitable teaching load a fair system of rotation for available or additional teaching opportunities shall be implemented.  The rotation assignments should be implemented as a feasible minimal load (e.g., 0.25 FTE, such as a lecture section of lab section).  Rotations are implemented in a likewise manner when available teaching opportunities are in excess of all faculty teaching a total of 0.5 FTE in summer sessions and mini-sessions.
3. NINE-MONTH OVERLOAD OR TEACHING RELEASE CLAUSE TO ROTATION PRIORITIES:  Faculty members in an academic unit provided a teaching overload or release time from a 12 hour teaching load during the fall or spring semesters of their 9-month contract must relinquish additional teaching opportunities in a rotation scenario to other faculty members in the academic unit with those privileges.  An except is for faculty members whose release time from a 12 hour teaching load during the fall and/or spring semesters is paid by or a condition of external grant contracts.
4. EARLY RETIREMENT AND SUMMER EMPLOYMENT EXCEPTION:  Faculty members taking early retirement may qualify for employment with a teaching load of 1.0 FTE among summer sessions and mini-sessions.
5. NOTICE OF SUMMER ALLOCATION. The dean of each college shall set any budgetary constraints on demonstrated instructional needs in academic departments, and to assure against prejudice based in individual or collective faculty member(s) 9-month contract income when approving teaching load assignments. Notices of summer employment shall be issued by as soon as practicable.

XENIA: In some departments the language may be worrisome. MATT: Will share the language to see if it meets needs.

Matt made motion as read and notes concerns re: Xenia. Jeremy Shelton seconded motion. Discussion? Is there a prevention for hiring adjuncts in a department over summer to save money – Matt: Full-time faculty would have preference per this resolution . Milli – can we add language re: full-time versus adjunct position? Matt: This resolution should put an impetus on faculty adjuncts who are being given full-time loads to be provided an instructor contract which can give benefits even for only one term. Paul: Is this a new policy or current policy being ratified? Matt: It is a modification because Handbook currently is not specific regarding this. Handbook language was referencing an “extra summer session” for at least a second rotation. Idea is to spread the opportunities. Comments regarding method to make more equitable, instead of just general Chair decision. Motion passed via unanimous consent.

Investigation:

Met with executive committee about which direction this committee should go since the targets have left or are retiring. Some reports have come through but is still waiting on multiple public information request. Copies of items gathered are now in the new Faculty Senate office on campus. Pat sent a letter to Jennifer – wrote request that our Faculty Senate support two faculty member from Collin College be supported – they were fired after questions regarding Covid and 1^st amendment rights were violated. Multiple organizations are supporting these faculty. Information has been sent to multiple pathways.

Pat made motion to send letter below.

March 3, 2021

Dr. H. Neil Matkin

District President

Collin College

2200 West University

McKinney, TX. 75071

Dear President Matkin:

The Lamar University Faculty Senate stands in solidarity with Dr. Suzanne Jones and Ms. Audra Heaslip and defends their rights to First Amendment protections.  We support the rights of faculty members at public institutions to speak as private citizens about public concerns.  The Senate also supports faculty rights to organize and to associate with allies as a right of freedom of expression. 

Respectfully,

Lamar University Faculty Senate

Cc:   J. Robert Collins, Chair, Collin College Board of Trustees

        Andrew Hardin, Vice Chair, Collin College Board of Trustees

        Jim Orr, Trustee

        Raj Menon, Trustee

        Stacy Arias, Trustee

        Stacey Donald, Trustee

        Greg Gomel, Trustee

        Fred Moses, Trustee

        Jay Saad, Trustee

Matt Hoch seconded. Passed via unanimous consent.

New Business:

New forms for check-in to each Faculty Senate meeting: see link in chat for the Faculty Senate Teams group.

Need equal number of faculty and committee on Presidential search committee. Number was increased to 5 – one from each college.

Two town halls in the past – one organized by Faculty Senate and one for Covid. The questions from these will be shared with the search committee. 

Sujing Wang – Committee for Information Technology will be sending out a survey regarding information technology for faculty to complete – will send out via Campus Announcement ASAP. Qualtrics distribution and will go out soon.

Adjournment:

• Motion to adjourn was made by Matt Hoch. Seconded by Paul Hemenway. Passed. Meeting adjourned at 4:56 PM.